Published: Monday, June 24, 2013 at 11:31 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, June 24, 2013 at 11:31 p.m.

LAKELAND | The union that represents Lakeland's police officers issued a letter Monday in support of Chief Lisa Womack's ability to deal with the department's internal investigations and blamed many of LPD's ongoing woes on former Chief Roger Boatner's administration.

The letter from Jim Diamond III, director of the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association, also criticized comments made about LPD by State Attorney Jerry Hill last week.

"While Mr. Hill is within his rights to comment upon the Lakeland Police Department, as is every citizen of the community, he has taken a number of items out of order and context and made suggestive remarks about the conduct of city business that he was unwilling to elaborate upon," Diamond wrote in the letter.

Last week, Hill said Lakeland city leaders need to evaluate LPD's performance in light of a spate of problems and controversies this year and said it might need to make changes, though he wouldn't elaborate on what those might be.

His comments came soon after he was made aware of problems in a DUI case in which an officer testified in court that he and a defendant signed off on an incomplete report that the officer later filled out and that he changed a time on a sworn document after it had already been signed.

Hill also discussed problems in an unrelated traffic stop made last month. In it, another LPD officer made what Hill called an illegal search of a woman's car. The officer also instructed the woman to lift up her shirt and shake out her bra, all in what Hill described as an unjustified search for drugs.

Assistant State Attorney Brian Haas said Monday that the State Attorney's Office did not want to comment on the PBA's press release, and "the union is entitled to their opinion."

Boatner, who now works for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, did not respond to a request for comment.

Diamond wrote in the release that Womack has taken a "progressive and competent approach to correcting certain behaviors enabled over time by the previous administration under Chief Roger Boatner."

"We have a lot of confidence with the policies Chief Womack has set in place," Diamond said Monday.

He said it was surprising that the state attorney would take a "personal hand" in the discipline within LPD, "which we think it inappropriate."

Diamond admitted that some of the recent issues seem to be related to officer training, but "those investigations are still ongoing."

"I am confident the chief will make the right decision," he continued.

Diamond said many of the problems within the department linger from Boatner's tenure.

"That administration was continuously and unreasonably late in dealing with disciplinary violations, to the point the Officers of the Lakeland Police Department went on record with a vote of No Confidence in Chief Boatner and his Policies," Diamond wrote in his letter.

He said internal investigations regularly lasted longer than the statute-mandated 180 days, and some officers were reassigned to desk jobs for more than two years while internal investigations lingered, he said. And "some investigations just disappeared, is my under-standing."

"We believe that the Lakeland Police Chief is competent to conduct Administrative Investigations into allegations of misconduct by our Officers and will continue to refer any and all violations concerning criminal conduct to the States Attorney's Office as they have always done in the past," Diamond wrote.

"The chief is appreciative of PBA's support of the department's policies and decision making by her administration and staff," Assistant Chief of Police Larry Giddens said of Womack's response to the letter.

[ Jeremy Maready can be reached at jeremy.maready@theledger.com or 863-802-7592. ]

<p>LAKELAND | The union that represents Lakeland's police officers issued a letter Monday in support of Chief Lisa Womack's ability to deal with the department's internal investigations and blamed many of LPD's ongoing woes on former Chief Roger Boatner's administration.</p><p>The letter from Jim Diamond III, director of the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association, also criticized comments made about LPD by State Attorney Jerry Hill last week.</p><p>"While Mr. Hill is within his rights to comment upon the Lakeland Police Department, as is every citizen of the community, he has taken a number of items out of order and context and made suggestive remarks about the conduct of city business that he was unwilling to elaborate upon," Diamond wrote in the letter.</p><p>Last week, Hill said Lakeland city leaders need to evaluate LPD's performance in light of a spate of problems and controversies this year and said it might need to make changes, though he wouldn't elaborate on what those might be.</p><p>His comments came soon after he was made aware of problems in a DUI case in which an officer testified in court that he and a defendant signed off on an incomplete report that the officer later filled out and that he changed a time on a sworn document after it had already been signed.</p><p>Hill also discussed problems in an unrelated traffic stop made last month. In it, another LPD officer made what Hill called an illegal search of a woman's car. The officer also instructed the woman to lift up her shirt and shake out her bra, all in what Hill described as an unjustified search for drugs.</p><p>Assistant State Attorney Brian Haas said Monday that the State Attorney's Office did not want to comment on the PBA's press release, and "the union is entitled to their opinion."</p><p>Boatner, who now works for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p>Diamond wrote in the release that Womack has taken a "progressive and competent approach to correcting certain behaviors enabled over time by the previous administration under Chief Roger Boatner."</p><p>"We have a lot of confidence with the policies Chief Womack has set in place," Diamond said Monday.</p><p>He said it was surprising that the state attorney would take a "personal hand" in the discipline within LPD, "which we think it inappropriate."</p><p>Diamond admitted that some of the recent issues seem to be related to officer training, but "those investigations are still ongoing."</p><p>"I am confident the chief will make the right decision," he continued.</p><p>Diamond said many of the problems within the department linger from Boatner's tenure.</p><p>"That administration was continuously and unreasonably late in dealing with disciplinary violations, to the point the Officers of the Lakeland Police Department went on record with a vote of No Confidence in Chief Boatner and his Policies," Diamond wrote in his letter.</p><p>He said internal investigations regularly lasted longer than the statute-mandated 180 days, and some officers were reassigned to desk jobs for more than two years while internal investigations lingered, he said. And "some investigations just disappeared, is my under-standing."</p><p>"We believe that the Lakeland Police Chief is competent to conduct Administrative Investigations into allegations of misconduct by our Officers and will continue to refer any and all violations concerning criminal conduct to the States Attorney's Office as they have always done in the past," Diamond wrote.</p><p>"The chief is appreciative of PBA's support of the department's policies and decision making by her administration and staff," Assistant Chief of Police Larry Giddens said of Womack's response to the letter.</p><p>[ Jeremy Maready can be reached at jeremy.maready@theledger.com or 863-802-7592. ]</p>